NRL to make call on State of Origin as sport scrambles again in face of Covid outbreaks
NSW want State of Origin III to still be played on home turf even if it cannot be held in Sydney as the NRL weighs up the fate of that fixture and the home-and-away season. NRL bosses spent Monday analysing options for the immediate future, ahead of the most important commission meeting since the game restarted last May on Tuesday.
Sydney clubs are still preparing as if they will play at home this weekend in front of no crowds, well aware they could still be moved elsewhere after Tuesday’s meeting. But regardless of that outcome, they are already feeling the pinch of the city’s first lockdown in 12 months.
Teams expect to take a financial hit with leagues clubs closed during the two-week shutdown, with some already considering if they need to stand down non-essential staff. The NSW Cup also became the first casualty of the lockdown, with the next two weeks called off and officials trying to work out how it can resume with the NRL in a bubble.
At a representative level league bosses must decide whether to move Origin out of Sydney immediately, with Newcastle a front-running option if game three is to remain in NSW. Beyond that, both Gold Coast and Melbourne could shape as options with Peter V’landys revealing over the weekend that financial viability would be a factor in their decision.
Regional NSW venues currently sit at 50% capacity, meaning McDonald Jones Stadium could house around 16,000 people if restrictions stay as they are. “I want them to play in Sydney or NSW somewhere,” NSWRL boss Dave Trodden said “Whether that is in Newcastle it is fine by me. But I want it to be in NSW for obvious reasons. It’s a viable alternative.”
More immediately Project Apollo must consider what to do with this week’s NRL games in Sydney. While players remain in a bubble, moving 10 teams out of the city altogether remains an option if they are unable to negotiate border crossings with Queensland, Victoria and the ACT.
A Melbourne hub for AFL teams is shaping as a strong possibility as Fremantle halted ticket sales for Saturday night’s clash with Carlton at Optus Stadium after a second person in Western Australia tested positive to Covid.
The WA government imposed restrictions on Sunday after a woman who flew into the State tested positive, resulting in West Coast’s AFL match against Western Bulldogs at Optus Stadium being a lockout.
The confirmation of a second new case on Monday has put the DockersBlues clash at Optus Stadium in huge doubt, with the clash a strong chance to be moved to Melbourne. The Dockers announced on Monday they have put ticket sales on hold while they await further news.
Adelaide, too, are bracing for the prospect of a late fixture change. The Crows are due to host Brisbane at Adelaide Oval in the Saturday twilight slot, but South Australia’s border is now closed to Queensland. The Lions would require a special exemption to travel to SA.
Sydney and GWS moved their foot
ball operations to Melbourne last Tuesday and appear set for an extended stay, given the crisis in NSW. The Swans are scheduled to take on West Coast at Geelong’s GMHBA Stadium on Sunday and the Eagles could be forced to stay in Victoria beyond that.
Australia’s rugby sevens squads are remaining in Townsville as the nation’s Olympic sports enact contingency plans to avoid being trapped by the lockdowns. The reigning Olympic champion women’s sevens squad and their men’s counterparts played New Zealand and Fiji in an Oceania tournament in Townsville at the weekend.
Instead of returning home, the squads will remain in Townsville until Saturday before scheduled training camps in Darwin. Those camps could be jeopardised if the Northern Territory government extends Darwin’s current 48-hour lockdown.
Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) chief executive Matt Carroll says the sevens squads and other sports on the nation’s Olympic roster all have Covid contingency plans.
“We have just got to be very agile, the way we go about things, because you can plan ahead but you have got to work with what is in front of you,” Carroll told AAP on Monday. “We have been managing the challenges for 12 months now ... and as times change, you have got to keep adapting.
“Fortunately the sports have had their plans in place so when things started to go off the rails, so to speak, at the end of last week sadly with New South Wales, sports that had to go into Queensland had their Covid-safe plans in place. They were able to work closely with the Queensland government to ensure that could happen.”